Just got my first one, an '83 Distillate, right before Thanksgiving 2011 from club member Bassthang. Currently trying to decide between an Essence, an Orion, or a Series 1 for my second! Any advice? Must sell some gear first...

A few years later I got a very beat up '83 Spoiler that I foolishly traded in for a Gibson Ripper... I corrected my mistake asap and got the '83 Spoiler that's currently my favorite bass (she's so lovely) FF some years and I got the Stormburst Elan. Then came the time to go custom :-) But no response from Alembic :-( To kill the time I bought the fretless Orion, because I was in love with the looks of that bass ever since it was posted on that site (UK Alembic dealer) Then came the response from Alembic :-) and the realization of my 5 string monster Elan :-) :-) :-)

I got my first one brand new in 1978. It was serial number 78 1058. It was a medium scale, point body, with purpleheart top and back. Zebrawood veneers on the headstock, ebony board, and shipped with Pyramid Gold flats on it. I do not have any pictures at all of this bass as far as I know. I would love to see it today.

I traded it back to Alembic for a Small Standard. The small standard was serial number 78 1168, and was also a purpleheart top and back instrument. I regret parting with this one, but I went through a LOT of Alembics back then.

I got my first bass "Alembic Distillate Bass" in 1981, and I was a guitarist until then. I cuddled this bass all through my bass life. Because, I never want Gibson and Fender basses except my daughter's Fender Japan Mustang bass. (But I love and own Fender and Gibson guitars. It's curious !)

My second Alembic was 20th Anniv. Maple version in 1990 or 91. It was traded few years ago, but I regret it. I love the maple sounds !

I only own one..a Mark King Signature Standard retro fitted with SIMS LED's in red It does everything I want it to..the action is low and is so easy to play and the sound is the great. One drawback..it is very heavy..12lbs(UK) but a comfort strapp spreads the load

i bought my 96 epic new early in 1997 from the Bass centre in birmingham when I was working for cadbury's IT dept. The shop was a subsidiary of the London bass centre and has since closed. i bought the epic when I decided I'd like to start playing 5 strings and spent at least 4 months trying out every make and model I could get my hands on. For the price, the only one that came close to the Alembic was a pre-gibson tobias 5 string at a different shop but their credit terms were extortionate. I consider myself lucky as I doubt very much whether Gibson / tobias have such a friendly and informative forum :-)

Hah! I WAS pretty optimistic back then eh? Looking at the current quote generator I think I'd have to sell my house to afford a new series bass now. I'd maybe stand a chance if a reasonably priced 5 string series came up second hand!. I've just booked a 3 week trip to the states in September (which is costing a fortune) during which we'll be visiting the factory. maybe I can smuggle out a new bass down a trouser leg :-)

Yeah that quote generator is scary as it is without any non standard personalisation going on. So you can imagine the cost of something unique for a custom I'd have to sell my house as well then we can afford one between us with a time share arrangement 6 months each per year. haha

If the quote generator is scary now, imagine it after the price hike finally gets installed in it that was supposed to be done last January. Once the price hike goes into effect, prices on eBay will jump for used instruments. Luckily, I have all the basses I will probably buy in this life time. Otherwise, it sucks to get old!

I bought my first at age 19. It was a 4 string Essence in natural finish...all maple(figured top). This was in 1994. I found out about Alembic through BassPlayer Magazine. They praised the company above all.

A 1993 Spoiler. I bought it in 2005 in a small music shop. The owner of the shop had bought the complete stock of another shop that stopped it's activities. According to him the other shop bought it new and never sold it. So that would make it NOS I guess... I don't play it very often, so it still looks like new...

Got my Series 1 1976 model from the Bass Centre in London for my 47th birthday........present to myself. I still have her and she is even better now, just ask Jacko, he's played her. It's her birthday tomorrow 31st March 1976

It happened back in 2004 after the JE Limited Spyders had been launched. My first one, Spyder No. 04-50, 4 string My second one, Spyder No. 08-25, 8 string My third one, Dragon Wing "Tears for John", my first custom Alembic. All sold unfortunately, but soon to be replaced by something new....

1977 - 2 custom small body, long necks (2 of the few that Alembic ever made). One fretless, one fretted. Ebony on fretless from the same log as one of Stanley Clark's basses. Same electronics in both of mine - one superfilter, one series filter w/cvq, with a bunch of switches that let me switch high/band/low for the SF, filter in/out for the series filter, and let me put the two filters in series, plus the normal mono/stereo switch. Really amazing instruments, finish on the fretted showing its age, though. Need to get at least the fretted back for refin. I don't have good pics but will attach a few I have.

So in the late 70's I worked in a terrific 'mom and pop' music store in a little town in East Texas. I've always been a catalog nut, and this place had several file drawers full of everything from Conn horns to Mutron to . . . Alembic.

I would take the few sheets out and just stare at these Series instruments and was just mesmerized. I knew what I was looking at, just how big a jump these were. The new Precisions and Ricks hanging on the walls suddenly seemed so . . . . prehistoric alongside these things.

Fast-forward 15 years. After I'd moved to Nashville, over time I got 'round to all the music stores here. Gruhn's was an eye-opener after having read about them for so long. I walked into one of the 'too-cool-for-school' shop at that time, Rock Block, full of graphics-painted Jacksons, Steinbergers, the then fairly new Taylors, and so on. I look up in the midst of all the axes hanging six-high up the walls, and . . . . there a five-string Alembic, Series-shaped, in see-thru red. The room began to spin . . .

Eerily, this was what I would have custom ordered. At that time, I didn't know enough Alembic-ese to realize it was a Spoiler, all i knew was it didn't have that 'middle pickup' !

I didn't know Spoiler from Spamola. Didn't care. Had to have it. I'd never seen one in the flesh. Bought it. Done. I still have it, and will never be without it. Spooky . . . . .

1988. Bought it from the Starving Musician in Santa Clara. I was in the US from Australia on a training course walked into the shop had no idea what it was. I just fell in love with it when I tried it out and had to have it. slawie

1993.brand new serie 1 in Bass center, Paris. It was in the back of the shop, I asked if I could try it, I was 19, and the guy was very upset to let me play on this beauty. He asked me to put out my belt!! I've played 2 minutes, with the guy standing in my back, and say "OK, I'll take it". The shop owner was near to have a stroke..... Well i've payed three years for it, that was 20 years ago and it still mine, I've make 600 gigs with it and I'm still in love.VERY in love.